This Popular Hi-Fi Maker Just Gave Its Best-Selling Turntable a Nerdy Audiophile Upgrade

For years, Pro-Ject’s Debut Carbon (DC) was probably the most popular turntable for vinyl enthusiasts looking to take a real audiophile step up — heck, Sonos sold with its Play:5 and Five speakers as a “Turntable Set” for a time.

Released in 2012 and priced at $399, the Debut Carbon was a beautiful turntable with an excellent carbon fiber tonearm — where it got its name — that was also very upgradable. It came with a high-quality Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, but you could easily swap in a better one. And since it didn’t have a built-in phono preamp, you had the freedom to add whichever external one you wanted.

Unfortunately, Pro-Ject no longer sells the Debut Carbon, but the 2020-released Debut Carbon Evo is its spiritual successor. It has the same basic design (and tonearm) but several upgraded components — such as an improved motor suspension system and a fancier Sumiko Rainier ($149) cartridge — that make it a little more expensive.

In recent years, Pro-Ject has further pushed its Debut line in a more audiophile direction. The 2021-released Debut Pro shared many of the same design elements and components as the Debut Carbon Evo,but featured an upgraded one-piece aluminum platter and an even better tonearm with a sandwiched carbon-fiber-and-aluminum construction.

Now, Pro-Ject has released an even more audiophile version of its three-year-old Debut Pro.

Pro-Ject Debut Pro B

Turntable déjà vu

The Pro-Ject Debut Pro B shares many similarities with the three-year-old Debut Pro. And yes, it looks mostly identical.

It features the same 8.6-inch carbon-on-aluminum tonearm — a carbon fiber outer layer and an aluminum inner tube — for, according to the company, “rigidity and damping characteristics.”